Writes Leo Odera Omolo
Information emerging from the Tanzania’s commercial capital Dar Es Salaam says that armed conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is likely to shift to the East African Legislative Assembly this week with the regional parliament taking Tanzania to task over its support for a new UN sanctioned peacekeeping force following the recent breakdown talks between the M23 rebels and Kinshasa government.
Tanzania currently chairs the Southern African Development Community {SADC} peace and security Council, that political pundits and analysts argue that leaning towards SADC give Dar’s conflicting obligation to the international conferee on the Great Lakes and east African community, leaves on a collision course with Uganda and Rwanda, which are vehemently opposed to troop deployment under the UN.
A Ugandan member of the East African Legislative Assembly Fred Mukasa Mbidde was last week quoted as having tabled a motion at the regional parliament asking Tanzania to support the position that “military confrontation can only escalate war”.
THe EALA member said, ”Our position is based on three facts,
One, that Uganda and Rwanda may be drawn into an unnecessary war,
Two, that Uganda and Rwanda sometimes, Tanzania always suffer the humanitarian burden,
Third, war can only lead to further proliferation of arms in the region.”
The motion at the EALA meeting which is scheduled for April 16 will also propose that SADC AND THE un Security Council resolution or an “offensive international peacekeeping force” against M23 rebels be kept in abeyance to give dialogue a chance.
The newly elected Kenyan head of state President Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta will attend the EALA meeting o the first time since winning his presidential race on 4 March 2013.
However, this latest development comes as Tanzania prepares to seek parliamentary approval for its troops participation in the mission when the government tables on 3 May 2013, the Ministry o Defense and National Service budget, which its national security council has already endorsed.
Tanzania is also engaged in other UN peace keeping missions in Liberia,Sierra Leone,Ivory Coast and Sudan It has committed itself to deploying 850 troops in the DR Congo, part of UN Security Council sanctioned 2,000 –man “Intervention Brigade” approved a week ago.South Africa is another SADC member state wit economic interest in the SADC has also agreed to contribute troops, according to the Uganda EALA member Mbide.
The M23 rebels and the Kinshasa government of President Laurent Kabila have been in talks aimed at ending fighting which ha claimed many lives and displaced thousands since late last year when a section of rebels that had joined government after brokered deal opted out and resumed fighting citing marginalization.
A UN probe committee accused Rwanda and Uganda of supporting the M23, but Uganda was .Kampala in spite of the accusations, brokered the dialogue between the belligerents citing the talks broke two months ago following a violent split in the M23 leadership. Uganda’s Defense Minister Dr Crispus Kiyonga however, continued with the efforts to brig the belligerents back to the talking table.
The Permanent secretary in the Ugandan ‘s ministry of Foreign affairs James Mugume dismissed talks as ridiculous exercise between Uganda and Tanzania.
He said, It is entirely untrue. We are currently hosting SADC and EAC Joint Chief of Staff we are doing truck carrot we are supporting dialogue but if dialogue fails then members can resort to other means of resoling the conflicts ,he added.
Mbidde said the regional parliament {EALA} has ten a position for dialogue and Tanzania position for troop deployment is against this spiriti of dialogue
Ends